Sea World Research and Rescue Foundation staff Erin King, left, and Emma Pearce help restrain a distressed dolphin which was entangled in a net being used to herd it and another dolphin out of Cudgen Creek on Tuesday. Photo Jeff Dawson

A rescue attempt on Tuesday morning to herd two bottlenose dolphins out of Cudgen Creek which had been there for almost three weeks ended up with one of them entangled in a net used to try and shift them out.
The adult, male inshore bottlenose dolphin, which had made the deeper tidal waters under Cudgen Creek bridge home since mid January, was trapped in the net around 11.30am (DST).
The dolphin thrashed about in the net before Sea World Research and Rescue Foundation divers brought it gently back to shore where it was hydrated and kept calm.

The National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS), which led the rescue attempt, had been monitoring the pod of dolphins, believed to number up to three or four at one stage, which had been unwilling to leave the estuary in the past few weeks.
At least two of the dolphins had been sighted in the estuary every day and the marine mammals had become a popular attraction for locals and visitors alike with many taking photos from the shore or bridge. An exclusion zone was marked off near the bridge and jumping off the bridge was prohibited as it stressed the dolphins.

An attempt to herd the mammals out to sea ten days ago was unsuccessful.
NPWS Tweed area manager Nathan Oliver said that despite the hiccup with the entanglement, the rescue went well, with the first dolphin taken by road to Fingal Head where it was released into the Tweed River.
The second adult male dolphin was eventually netted later in the afternoon and also released into the Tweed River.
Originally, the pod of dolphins was set to be herded out to sea using nets and rescue workers but it was later decided to bring them into shore and transport them to the river and released.

The dolphins were expected to meet up with the rest of their pod at sea shortly after their release.
NPWS spokesman Lawrence Orel said both mammals seemed to be in good health.
He said it was also assumed the dolphins in the creek were a mother and calf spotted earlier but they had apparently left the creek during the weekend.

The dolphins are believed to have first made their way into the creek while chasing fish.