<P> The town of Walker, Minnesota, holds an International Eelpout Festival every winter on Leech Lake . The festival received national attention on March 4, 2011, when a correspondent from The Tonight Show with Jay Leno did a segment on the event . </P> <P> Burbot populations are difficult to study, due to their deep habitats and reproduction under ice . Although burbot global distribution is widespread and abundant, many populations have been threatened or extirpated . As the burbot lacks popularity in commercial fishing, many regions do not even consider management plans . Pollution and habitat change, such as river damming, appear to be the primary causes for riverine burbot population declines, while pollution and the adverse effects of invasive species have the greatest influence on lacustrine populations . Management of burbot is on low priority, being nonexistent in some regions . </P>

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