TWO fishermen posed for photographs with a dead crocodile and illegal firearms on a remote island after one of them shot the reptile in the head.

Commercial fishing vessel skipper Jake John Kingdon, 23, and his deckhand John James Wakelin, 25, armed themselves with a shotgun and a 0.22 calibre rifle when they went ashore on Sinclair Island, north-west of Cooktown.

Cairns Magistrates' Court yesterday was told that Wakelin, of Townsville, shot the animal in the head after it charged at him as he wandered up the beach.

Photographs depicted Wakelin dragging the crocodile up the beach to show off his trophy.

He took the crocodile on to the fishing boat, cut the animal open and ate meat from his catch.

He was fined $1000 for unlawfully taking wildlife and unauthorised possession of a firearm.

Kingdon was fined $300 for possessing a firearm. He was fined a further $700 for possessing cannabis, ecstasy and drug utensils when police searched his Smithfield home this month.

Magistrate Trevor Black said Kingdon had been "Ramboing through the swamp with a rifle and a dead crocodile".

He reserved his strongest criticism for Wakelin's act of "slaughtering a defenceless animal".

"I hope that you might accept that the gung-ho days of just going out and blasting God's creatures without any justification are long gone."

Prosecutor Sgt Peter Austen said Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service contacted police about the photos.

A day before Kingdon's court appearance, Wakelin came forward and was charged when he admitted killing the crocodile.

Defence solicitor Bebe Mellick said the guns were carried on the boat as a precaution.

No convictions were recorded against the men.