Branding Japan's whaling industry a criminal operation, Sea Shepherd called for Australia to send in its navy to force the Japanese out of Australia's Antarctic waters.

Speaking from Australia's island state of Tasmania, an official with the group said its ship Robert Hunter was in dry dock preparing for a lengthy voyage to the Antarctic, and would sail from Melbourne on December 1.

The group said it was acting to enforce international conservation law.

Japan's whaling fleet on Sunday set sail for the Antarctic, where it plans to capture around 1,000 whales for "scientific" purposes despite international protests.

For the first time, it plans to include around 50 humpback whales, which environmentalists say are still endangered.

The Robert Hunter's first officer Peter Hammarstedt said targeting humpbacks was the group's "line in the sand".

"We are taking an uncompromising stance," Hammarstedt told AFP, refusing to divulge details of tactics. "We are going down there to enforce international conservation law."

In its last encounter with the Japanese in Antarctic waters, the vessel collided with a Japanese ship.

The incident led the Japanese to brand the group "terrorists", an accusation Sea Shepherd rejects. It says no one has been injured by its activities in its 30-year history.

Sea Shepherd, which claims Hollywood stars Martin Sheen, Pierce Brosnan and Sean Penn among its sponsors, says it is enforcing international law using clauses which allow individuals and private organisations to take action.

Australia's Labor opposition, which polls predict will win government at Saturday's election, has vowed to use military resources to monitor the Japanese, but Sea Shepherd said it should actually intervene.

"The whaling ... is happening in Australian waters. All Australia would have to do is send down a warship and demand that the Japanese leave their waters," said Hammarstedt.

"The Japanese whaling industry is a criminal operation. Killing a whale is no different than a poacher killing an elephant."

Japan argues that whale populations have recovered enough to allow a managed catch for scientific purposes -- but much of the whale meat hauled in ultimately ends up on Japanese supermarket shelves.

Apart from humpbacks, which support a thriving whale watching industry in New Zealand, Australia and Tonga, Japan also intends to kill 50 fin whales, the world's second largest animal after the blue whale.

Greenpeace has also vowed to disrupt the hunt.

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