Removal of Walleye Eggs from Reefs in Western Lake Erie by a Catastrophic Storm

We document the removal of walleye Stizostedion vitreum eggs from reefs in western Lake Erie by a gale‐force storm event during April 1998. From April 8 to April 10 of that year, the western basin reefs were exposed to sustained winds exceeding 80 km/h and originating from the east‐northeast. This storm produced waves in excess of 4 m on the reefs and caused extensive flooding along the Ohio and Michigan shorelines owing to seiche activity. We sampled eggs on Cone, Crib, Locust Point, Niagara, Round, and Toussaint reefs on April 6, the day before the storm, and on April 10, the day after the storm. We found approximately 80% fewer eggs in the samples collected on April 10, a difference that was significant. Shallow sites on reefs lost significantly more eggs (87%) than deep sites (50%). The lower loss rate of eggs from deep sites was thought to be related to reduced wave energy at greater depths. The results of this study emphasize the importance of physical processes in structuring walleye early life history dynamics and year‐class strength on western Lake Erie reefs.