ANTI-WHALING activist group Sea Shepherd says it has intercepted a Japanese whaling fleet using a military-style drone.

A Sea Shepherd Conservation Society spokesman reported they caught up with the fleet at 37 degrees south, 1600 kilometres from Antarctic waters yesterday morning.

Captain Paul Watson said it would be a long and arduous pursuit to reach the coast of Antarctica but by using the drone technology vast distances could be covered more quickly. ''We now have an advantage we have never had before - eyes in the sky,'' he said. ''We can cover hundreds of miles with these drones and they have proven to be valuable assets for this campaign.''

The drone, named Nicole Montecalvo, was donated to Sea Shepherd's Steve Irwin ship by Bayshore Recycling of New Jersey, and Moran Office of Maritime and Port Security, also of New Jersey.

The report comes as the opposition called on the Gillard government to seek an emergency injunction on whaling in the Southern Ocean.