Charlene's daughter was taken by a crocodile, but she's not in favour of culling 

A mother whose daughter was killed by a crocodile has joined scientists in pushing the Northern Territory government to consider more public education — rather than an expansion of culling — to keep people safe. 

Briony Goodsell was taken by a crocodile when she was 11, as she swam with friends at a waterhole near her home, 60 kilometres outside Darwin, in 2009.

"It's still very traumatic and it's still very deep seated in our hearts," her mother Charlene O'Sullivan said.

To help cope with her daughter's death she has taken crocodiles head on, by starting a small farm on her rural property to sell skins and crocodile products including bags and key rings.

"There are a lot of things we do in Briony's memory, the name of our farm is in her memory," she said.

Briony's death prompted the NT government to start a small cull program of aggressive animals, and promise to remove all crocodiles within a 50 kilometre radius of Darwin.

At the time Charlene O'Sullivan called for a more widespread cull, but now she doesn't support the government's plan to expand culls.

"I think that's going to be giving a false sense of security," she said.

"I think how we are managing it today is the best way to do it, with education, moving on problem crocs and egg harvesting.

"My biggest thing has always been education."

Croc experts say culling won't stop attacks

Leading Australian and overseas experts told the international Crocodile Specialist Group conference in Darwin this week more culling would not increase public safety.

Queensland and WA government scientists pointed out deaths are at the same rate now — one every three years — the same as when when crocodile numbers were vastly reduced by hunting before it was banned in the 1970s.

But they said non-fatal attacks had increased, as growing human populations interacted with more crocodiles.

The crocodile population has increased from about 500 adults in 1971 to more than 100,000 in the NT.

The retiring chair of the Crocodile Specialist Group, Grahame Webb said the NT government's current program of removing particularly dangerous crocodiles was sufficient.

"The only way to really make it safe is to take them all out, taking us back to 1971.

"There's no sense in doing that, but strategic culling is already in the management program."

Professor Webb said the Darwin Harbour crocodile removal program had demonstrated it was very difficult to keep large areas totally crocodile free.

"We spend about $1 million a year and we can't do it," he said.

But he said the NT government could devote more resources to keeping tourist spots, advertised as safe, clear of crocodiles.

"If the government says you can swim in that place, they've got to be sure," he said.

Simon Pooley, a member of the International Union for Conservation of Nature Human-Wildlife Conflict and Coexistence, has studied places where crocodiles clash with humans all over the World including Africa, India and Indonesia.

He said when aggressive animals, often large males, were removed from their territories, others moved in.

"And then that's potentially an unsafe situation, as it's drawing in other male crocodiles," he said.

Dr Pooley said public education was a more effective tool than culling.

"The real challenge is often human behaviour," he said.

"For example in the United States, you have a lot of alligators in Louisiana and people have learned to live with them — there are not a lot of attacks.

"With the same species in Florida you have all sorts of problems with tourists and people doing sport and recreation."

While some remote Indigenous clans oppose culling and safari hunting, which is also being considered by the NT government, some traditional owners want more aggressive crocodiles removed.

Arafura Swamp Rangers director and Arnhem Land traditional owner Otto Bulmaniya Campion said "for some areas we want to reduce the numbers down".

"I used to be able to swim with crocodiles across any billabong when I was young but now there are crocodiles everywhere," he said. 

"Three people got taken by crocs in our region in the last 10 years."

Charlene O'Sullivan said she has had suffered small bites while working at her farm, but she has never let herself get comfortable with crocodiles.

She has appealed to everyone living and visiting the Top End to never think it is safe to swim, or get careless, in crocodile country.

"Understand where you are; make an informed decision about whether you are going to put yourself in harm's way or not," she said.

"These animals will lie and wait until the timing is right for an ambush.

"You cannot predict the actions of a crocodile."