Pinto abalone (IMAGE) University of California - San Diego Caption A new study shows that pinto abalone, native to the chilly waters of Washington State and Canada, is extremely vulnerable to withering syndrome: they became infected and died at a water temperature of 17° Celsius (63° Fahrenheit). Credit Carolyn Friedman Usage Restrictions With credit License Licensed content Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.