Dr. Jess Sparks
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jesssparks.bsky.social
Dr. Jess Sparks
@jesssparks.bsky.social
Assistant Professor @tuftsnutrition.bsky.social researching working conditions from #DecentWork to #ForcedLabor in #fisheries. Educating conservationists @tuftsvet.bsky.social. She/her
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🚨Our new paper examines how #ClimateChange threatens the achievement of #DecentWork in fishing, underscoring the urgent need for worker-driven, climate-sensitive labor policies. .https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308597X25002623#fig0005 @tuftsnutrition.bsky.social
Reposted by Dr. Jess Sparks
Trump Administration Lowers Wages for Guest Farmworkers

civileats.com/2025/10/06/l...
Trump Administration Eases Application Process and Lowers Wages for Guest Farmworkers
United Farm Workers said the shifts will hurt both migrant and domestic farmworkers. Farm groups praised the changes.
civileats.com
October 7, 2025 at 1:55 AM
Reposted by Dr. Jess Sparks
#NewPaper in Science Advances finds that domestic fishing vessels account for the majority of port visits around the world. Comprehensive inspections at port for both foreign and domestic fishing fleets are a key deterrent for #illegalfishing.

🔗 stanford.io/45LXlB2
📷 Hong Wu/Getty Images
September 5, 2025 at 6:10 PM
Reposted by Dr. Jess Sparks
Most avocados sold in the U.S. come from Mexico, where farming methods have serious environmental and human-rights impacts. But importers continue to market the fruit as sustainably grown.
US Importers Sued for ‘Greenwashing’ Mexican Avocados
Most avocados sold in the U.S. are imports from Mexico, where farming has environmental and human-rights impacts little known to consumers.
buff.ly
July 20, 2025 at 2:01 PM
A courageous and harrowing account of what it’s like in ICE women’s prison as written by Tufts’ doctoral student Rümeysa Öztürk www.vanityfair.com/news/story/r...
“Even God Cannot Hear Us Here”: What I Witnessed Inside an ICE Women’s Prison
Tufts University doctoral student Rümeysa Öztürk opens up about her 45 days in a South Louisiana processing facility—and the generous and compassionate women she met.
www.vanityfair.com
July 17, 2025 at 8:57 PM
🚨Our new paper examines how #ClimateChange threatens the achievement of #DecentWork in fishing, underscoring the urgent need for worker-driven, climate-sensitive labor policies. .https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308597X25002623#fig0005 @tuftsnutrition.bsky.social
July 16, 2025 at 1:00 PM
Reposted by Dr. Jess Sparks
The dismantling of the once expansive agency will not only affect fisheries but also the oceans and weather forecasting. Across the U.S., fishers are already feeling the impact. buff.ly/g7G7JyI
May 19, 2025 at 6:30 PM
Reposted by Dr. Jess Sparks
With the Employment Rights Bill going through Parliament right now, we have a singular opportunity to turn the tide on the rampant labour exploitation that migrant workers face in this country.

Our latest video highlights the problems caused by restrictive visa systems, and the essential solutions.
April 9, 2025 at 12:38 PM
Reposted by Dr. Jess Sparks
Farmers who received USDA labor grants say they can’t get funding or answers. And, USAID cuts threaten guest worker recruitment more broadly.
H-2A Guestworker Program Impacted by Stalled USDA Payments, Cuts to USAID
Dismantling USAID and freezing USDA support for H-2A guestworker programs mean farmers face a season of uncertainty.
buff.ly
March 29, 2025 at 2:00 PM
Reposted by Dr. Jess Sparks
Civil Eats Scoop: Farmers who received USDA labor grants say they can’t get funding or answers. And, USAID cuts threaten guest worker recruitment more broadly.
H-2A Guestworker Program Impacted by Stalled USDA Payments, Cuts to USAID
Dismantling USAID and freezing USDA support for H-2A guestworker programs mean farmers face a season of uncertainty.
buff.ly
March 24, 2025 at 8:55 PM
Reposted by Dr. Jess Sparks
Many migrant fishers like Vishal are falling prey to unscrupulous companies in the UK who are keen to exploit them. www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Exploited, recognised as a slavery victim, now facing deportation: one seafarer’s UK ordeal
After years of helping Scottish criminal investigations and despite fearing for his life in India, Vishal Sharma’s asylum claim has been rejected
www.theguardian.com
March 15, 2025 at 3:43 PM
Reposted by Dr. Jess Sparks
ciw-online.org/blog/2025/03...

Lucas Benitez, @immokaleeworkers.bsky.social co-founder, on Worker-driven Social Responsibility: “How beautiful it is that we can say: here’s the formula for this medicine and you can adapt it to your reality…”
In feature series, Mexico’s respected daily journal, La Jornada, shows why the Fair Food Program is global beacon of hope
La Jornada: Both the administrators and the CIW explain that, in the end, the agreement not only directly benefited the workers but also improved the company's business and reputation.
ciw-online.org
March 10, 2025 at 2:32 PM
🚨New paper! We use data from the UK Nephrops #FIP to demonstrate how FIPs are fundamentally missing the mark on #WorkingConditions and #LaborRights, harming fishers in the process. www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
The illusion of social improvements: A case study of the role of Fishery Improvement Projects (FIPs) in fairwashing the UK Nephrops fishery
Fishery improvement projects (FIPs) are attempting to manage the labor dimensions of social responsibility through non-binding mechanisms that directl…
www.sciencedirect.com
March 4, 2025 at 9:23 PM