(S4O-04394) In designating seal haul-out sites, the Scottish Government uses a methodology developed by scientists from the sea mammal research unit at the University of St Andrews that involves consideration of several factors, including the relative proportion of the regional population of each seal species that regularly uses a site, the persistence of the use of a site over time, whether the use of a site is increasing or decreasing over time and whether a particular site is a significant breeding site for grey seals.