Nesting turtle numbers have been monitored since 1977 by a mixture of researchers, volunteers, funding bodies and more recently, the Ascension Island Government Conservation Department (AIGCD). Throughout the nesting season, tracks and successful nests are counted from the previous night and these data are recorded. While this is carried out on a yearly basis for each of the main nesting beaches, Long Beach (Georgetown), North East Bay and Pan Am, a complete census is carried out every few years. With funding support from the Overseas Territories Environment Programme (OTEP), the most recent full census was completed for the 2011/2012 nesting season. With an exponential increase in the number of green turtle nests on Long Beach, from roughly 1000 in 1977, to approximately 10,000 at present, the figures are very positive and indicate the recovery of the green turtle population since harvesting for meat consumption was ended in the 1930’s.