There were fears the Commonwealth was planning to tighten up tuna limits as part of an international agreement and a rally to protest against any changes is set for Warrnambool this week.

Campaign group WE FISH, which is organising the rally, said the Gillard government had a track record of “unjustified fishing lock-outs”.

“The detrimental impact of stopping recreational tuna fishing in Victoria, to the south-west regional economy in particular and the recreational boat manufacturing and retail fishing industry sectors, would be catastrophic,” organiser Dale McClelland said.

The state government is still seeking assurances that the valuable south-west southern bluefin tuna angling sector will be guaranteed long-term access to the fishery.

Agriculture minister Peter Walsh said the Department of Primary Industries was still in discussions with the Commonwealth over future resource-sharing arrangements for the tuna.

But a spokesman for the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) told The Standard that while the federal government held overall responsibility for managing southern bluefin tuna and negotiating Australia’s international share of the stock, the day-to-day management of recreational and charter fishing was the role of the state.

“Access to southern bluefin tuna in Victoria’s recreational and charter fisheries is managed by the Victorian government via measures such as bag limits,” the spokesman said.

“The Commonwealth is not contemplating any change to this arrangement.”

He said good management at the international and domestic level would allow tuna stocks to recover.

“This in turn will allow the commercial industry to grow and develop alongside a thriving recreational and charter sector sharing access to the same resource.”

Southern bluefin tuna is listed as “conservation dependent” under federal laws and as “threatened” under state laws.

Mr McClelland said the Warrnambool rally on Friday night in the South Rovers club rooms would go ahead “as a united show of support” despite the reassurance from DAFF.

“It is (now) more important to let both federal and state governments and their respective agencies know the recreational fishers both in Victoria and nationally do not want to enter into a resource sharing arrangement for southern bluefin or any other species,” he said. “Somebody isn’t telling recreational fishermen the truth.”