Reviving Vancouver’s Urban Creeks: Restoring Salmon Habitat in English Bay

 ✍️ By Karalee Greer | WBN News – Kitsilano | May 19, 2025 Subscription to WBN and being a Contributor is Free.

Once teeming with over 50 salmon-bearing streams, Vancouver’s urban expansion led to the loss or culverting of many waterways flowing into English Bay. Today, restoration projects are helping revive fish habitats and bring salmon back to their historical spawning grounds.

I remember when the restoration of the Spanish Banks Creek started. I've run and walked along the path hundreds of times and stop to enjoy the natural beauty of the creek in it's splendor today. And, salmon have returned!

Key Streams and Restoration Efforts

• Spanish Banks Creek – Restored in 1999, this creek now supports spawning coho and chum salmon thanks to gravel placement, native planting, and debris structures. It’s one of Vancouver’s earliest urban stream successes. Salmon return to Spanish Banks Creek
  🔁 Spawning confirmed: Yes
• Tatlow Creek – A daylighting project launched in 2021 aims to restore flow through Volunteer and Tatlow Parks in Kitsilano. Although full restoration is ongoing, the long-term goal is to support salmon and other aquatic species. Tatlow Creek Restoration
  🔁 Spawning confirmed: Not yet—restoration underway
• Still Creek – Restoration efforts began in 2002 with the adoption of the Still Creek Enhancement Plan. After over 80 years of urban degradation, salmon were spotted spawning here again in 2012. Renaturalization and stormwater improvements played a key role. Still Creek Restoration
  🔁 Spawning confirmed: Yes

Habitat Design Strategies

• Spawning gravel beds help salmon lay and incubate eggs
• Woody debris provides shelter and nutrients
• Riparian planting stabilizes banks and cools water
• Fish passage improvements like culvert removal restore access

Keep Dogs Out of Streams

Allowing dogs in restored streams can destroy gravel nests (redds), stir up sediment, and disturb sensitive fish habitat—especially during spawning season. Signs posted near restored creeks ask owners to leash pets and avoid water access to protect the ecosystem.

Karalee Greer - Publisher

Tags: #WBN News Sea to Sky #Karalee Greer #Kitsilano #Vancouver Streams #Salmon Spawning #Urban Ecology #Tatlow Creek #Spanish Banks #Still Creek #Stream Restoration