Residents of St. Brendan's, an island town in Newfoundland's Bonavista Bay, were preventing their regular ferry from leaving the dock Tuesday morning, in protest against a change in the ferry service.

Mayor Veronica Broomfield says they're disgusted the MV Grace Sparkes is set to be temporarily moved to the Bell Island run.

St. Brendan's will have to rely on the much older and smaller MV Sound of Islay for 10 weeks. Broomfield said the replacement vessel is inadequate.

"We feel we've been took," said Broomfield, who was delighted when the Grace Sparkes was added to the island community's service in 2011.

"Our boat has been [moved] to benefit another community, when they got a boat. [Bell Island residents are] not left without service," she said. "They still got the Flanders and they'll have a swing vessel with them."

The Sound of Islay, meanwhile, remained on the Burnside end of the run.

Broomfield said the reallocation plan could harm fishermen in the area, because the Sound of Islay has been frequently known to break down.

"When we take in crab, it's iced and kept until the truck or boat comes the next day to take it over to Valleyfield," she said.

"If the boat is broken down you can't get a truck and there is no boat to come in so where does that leave the fishermen?"