VANCOUVER, British Columbia, (UPI) -- It's all orca, all the time.
A Vancouver whale researcher has proposed a new radio station that will broadcast the sounds of killer whales live from their ocean home on Canada's West Coast.
It's part of a new project underway at the Vancouver Aquarium, where technology links researchers to underwater microphones hundreds of miles (km) up the British Columbia coast.
Special hardware and software use a cellular phone to transmit the whale whistles, yelps and squeaks to the aquarium from Robson Bight, a spot on the British Columbia coast that's favored by killer whales.
Researcher John Ford has applied to Canada's broadcast regulator for an FM radio license for the new station, which would be the world's first to have an all-whale format.
It would broadcast only around Robson Bight.
A direct link to the aquarium would give visitors a real glimpse into killer whale life on the Pacific coast.
Said Ford, "You'd be able to listen in live to whales hunting or socializing. You can tell their mood by how they make their calls."
Once regulators approve, the new station could be on the air this fall.
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