Ballina has drawn global scientific attention after a possibly world-first piebald great white shark was tagged off Sharpes Beach 

The NSW Government’s SharkSmart team confirmed a 2.39-metre male great white was captured, tagged and released on November 20 as part of routine SMART drumline operations off Ballina.

Its mottled white-and-charcoal colouring — known as piebald pigmentation — is considered exceptionally rare in sharks and other elasmobranch species.

The shark was the 1,541st white shark tagged since the state program began in 2015.

It can now be tracked via the SharkSmart app, supported by 37 listening stations along the NSW coastline. 

NSW’s tagging effort remains the largest of its kind in the world, with more than 1543 white sharks, 749 tiger sharks and 238 bull sharks recorded.

SharkSmart contractors say white sharks are commonly tagged along the North Coast at this time of year, but this one was unlike anything they had seen before.

SMART drumlines were first introduced off Ballina in 2015 after 11 shark attacks and serious incidents between 2014 and 2016 — a period that included the fatal attack on Tadashi Nakahara at Shelly Beach. 

The Ballina–Lennox cluster prompted the creation of the real-time shark monitoring system now used across NSW.

The renewed focus on shark activity comes as emergency services this morning responded to a fatal attack at Crowdy Bay on the Mid North Coast.

About 6.30am, a woman believed to be in her 20s died at the scene despite efforts by witnesses and paramedics.

A man, also in his 20s, suffered critical injuries and was airlifted to John Hunter Hospital.

The beach has been closed as police and DPI experts work to determine the species involved. A report will be prepared for the Coroner.

Today’s tragedy is the first fatal shark attack in NSW this year, adding to the nine fatal incidents recorded statewide over the past decade.