The metallic screech of a train rolling by. The constant hum of traffic on the nearby Trans-Canada Highway.

These are the sounds of the Brunette River in the fall, as it cuts through the suburbs of Burnaby, B.C.

And rising above the din of Metro Vancouver, the splashing of chum salmon as they push upstream to spawn.

The salmon in the river are looking haggard by mid-November, their skin patchy and worn as they near the end of their lives. But they continue the timeless cycle to produce the next generation of their keystone species.

Jason Hwang, vice-president of the Pacific Salmon Foundation, recalled growing up in Delta, south of Vancouver, and thinking B次元官网网址渟almon were something that came into the Fraser River but swam on by the Lower Mainland to better habitatB次元官网网址� farther inland.

Then, as a child, Hwang saw salmon spawning in SurreyB次元官网网址檚 Bear Creek.

B次元官网网址淚 couldnB次元官网网址檛 believe it,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淵ou might look out at the city and Vancouver and say, B次元官网网址榃ell, itB次元官网网址檚 a big city now and maybe the time to have salmon in our proximity is long passed.B次元官网网址� But thatB次元官网网址檚 not true.B次元官网网址�

Efforts to rehabilitate urban waterways have helped bring spawning salmon back to parts of Metro Vancouver, including unlikely-looking streams surrounded by industrial and residential development.

While itB次元官网网址檚 doubtful that city salmon will recover to their original numbers, those involved in restoration work say it has a host of side benefits, from boosting resilience to flooding to inspiring community connection and stewardship.

Hwang said B次元官网网址渁n amazing thing happensB次元官网网址� when people realize there are important natural assets in their communities, including spawning salmon.

B次元官网网址淭hereB次元官网网址檚 a pride of stewardship that exists that you see all over the Lower Mainland B次元官网网址� in the communities that are aware theyB次元官网网址檝e got salmon in their neighbourhoods.B次元官网网址�

Salmon are a keystone species, supporting the broader ecosystem, and they serve as a barometer for the state of their environment, Hwang said.

B次元官网网址淚f you look at salmon, itB次元官网网址檚 one way to get a pretty good picture, and theyB次元官网网址檙e showing us that we can do better, and we need to do better.B次元官网网址�

Francisca Olaya Nieto, a biologist with the Vancouver Park Board, said a century of urban development had altered the landscape to the point that aiming for healthy, sustainable salmon populations across the city is probably not realistic.

About 100 kilometres of stream were covered up as Vancouver grew, she said, and just a handful of salmon-bearing waterways continue to flow naturally.

Some of those original streams were diverted into pipes and connected to the cityB次元官网网址檚 water system, while others were filled in, buried and paved over.

Nieto said salmon in urban waterways must contend with pollution, sediment, warming waters, and infrastructure blocking their passage.

Still, they have been returning to streams where the City of Vancouver and its park board have undertaken restoration work, said Nieto, who has been involved in efforts to recover or B次元官网网址渄aylightB次元官网网址� sections of once-buried or degraded waterways.

B次元官网网址淭he main goal is to find those opportunities where we can improve the water quality, and if salmon can return, that will be a win, but also we can benefit many other species,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e working more toward creating healthy habitat across the city, working toward connectivity and improving our biodiversity.B次元官网网址�

Amir Taleghani,asenior engineer with the City of Vancouver, said restoring salmon habitat may have started with naturalization and beautification in mind, but the work also provided an opportunity to tap into the broader benefits of natural assets.

He pointed to Still Creek, flowing from the east side of Vancouver into Burnaby.

The creek has been the site of restoration efforts over several decades, and Taleghani recently captured a video showing salmon spawning in the stream surrounded by parking lots, train tracks, big-box stores and industrial buildings.

But Still Creek plays a role beyond providing salmon habitat, said Taleghani, whose work is focused on floodplains and watercourses in Vancouver.

B次元官网网址淚ncreasingly, weB次元官网网址檙e seeing the creek as a natural drainage asset, important to B次元官网网址� adapting to climate change and managing flood risk,B次元官网网址� he said.

B次元官网网址淵ou need room for water to safely be stored in a flood. So, by widening the creek and lowering the surface where we can, we provide the space that in an extreme rainfall event can be flooded in a safe way, but the rest of the year, it can be habitat.B次元官网网址�

Taleghani said the city was incorporating Still Creek in its draft land-use plan for the area, which includes two SkyTrain stations, and looking at how the waterway can help manage run-off and flood risk as more housing and infrastructure is built.

Hwang, too, said it was crucial to include natural assets in city and regional planning given the population increases expected for the Lower Mainland.

B次元官网网址淎s a salmon biologist, I would advocate for all of the reasons that (restoration) can be helpful for salmon, but itB次元官网网址檚 also helpful for your community,B次元官网网址� he said, pointing to flood mitigation as well as recreational opportunities in naturalized areas.

While salmon will likely never return to streams in Metro Vancouver as they once did, Hwang said the target should be to restore as much habitat as possible.

He recalled attending the British Columbia Institute of Technology as a post-secondary student, where there is an ongoing effort to restore a creek that runs through the Burnaby campus and eventually flows into Still Creek.

B次元官网网址淢aybe Guichon Creek used to produce thousands of salmon, and now it produces a couple of dozen B次元官网网址� but isnB次元官网网址檛 that still awesome? IsnB次元官网网址檛 it awesome that in the (schoolB次元官网网址檚) parking lot area, you can make salmon, still, in a stream?B次元官网网址�