"The minister has made a politically motivated decision to choose the recreational fishery as a scapegoat," said David Brown, a recreational fisherman who was among those who organized the protest.

The DFO announced it was restricting chinook salmon fishing this season citing dwindling stocks due to harvesting, habitat destruction, and climate change.

According to the DFO, of the 13 wild Fraser River chinook salmon populations recently assessed in the region, only one was not at risk.