Pregnant dolphin released off Gold Coast

A pregnant dolphin caught on a drumline off the Gold Coast has been successfully released by Sea World's rescue team.

The inshore bottlenose dolphin was found hooked to the drumline off Main Beach on Saturday, and spent the weekend at Sea World's vet centre where the hook was surgically removed.

The dolphin was released on Tuesday morning and rescuers are confident the animal will rejoin her pod before giving birth.

Sea World's marine sciences director Trevor Long said the dolphin was probably attempting to steal food from the baited drumline when it hooked itself in the mouth.

"After the surgery, she was placed in our veterinary quarantine pool where she could re-build her strength and has since started eating which is a positive sign for both her and the unborn calf," Mr Long said.