The Salmonid Council of Newfoundland and Labrador says new powers given to resource enforcement officers to enforce regulations under the Environment Protection Act and the Water Resources Act will do nothing to protect the Main River.

The provincial government recently approved an ATV trail in the area, which is one of two designated Canadian Heritage Rivers in the province.

The Main River received the designation in 1991, and the development of an ATV trail goes against the spirit of the protections included in the Canadian Heritage River System.

Salmonid President Leo White says it’s a matter of closing the barn door after the horse has gone. He says a unique wilderness river system “has been sacrificed so an outfitter can drive his ATVs right to his remote camp.”

White believes that if an outfitter can use the trail, “so can hundreds of others, potentially destroying the integrity of the Canadian Heritage River.”