Chouly Ou, Ph.D.
Freshwater Fish Conservation Coordinator
Education
Ph.D., Fish Ecology, Texas A&M University
M.Sc., Natural Resources Management, Asian Institute of Technology, Thailand
B.Sc., Biology, Royal University of Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Dr. Chouly Ou serves as the Freshwater Fish Conservation Coordinator at Re:wild. In partnership with SHOAL, she drives efforts to promote a high-impact freshwater fish conservation program in support of delivering the SHOAL blueprint. She works closely with diverse partners, including communities, scientists, governments, corporations, and nonprofit organizations, to drive necessary actions for the long-term recovery of globally threatened fish species and the protection of their habitats. Chouly focuses on mobilizing conservation actions, building coalitions, forging strategic partnerships, raising awareness and funds, and strengthening local conservation capacity.
Chouly brings extensive experience in freshwater ecology and community-based conservation, having worked extensively in Cambodia’s Tonle Sap Lake and the Lower Mekong River Basin. Her career includes previous roles at WWF-US and BirdLife International, where she managed small conservation grants and led capacity-building initiatives for local partners. Most recently, Chouly taught and conducted research on freshwater fish and conservation at the School for Field Studies-Cambodia program. In addition, she also serves as an editorial board member for the Cambodian Journal of Natural History. A highlight of her career was the discovery of a new species of loach, Schistura diminuta, in northeast Cambodia.
Originally from Cambodia, Chouly now lives in Virginia with her family. She enjoys hiking, yoga, gardening, and cooking in her free time.
Thapa J., M. English, C. Ou, J. Lanoue & R.H. Walker. 2024. An assessment of floodplain fishery of Tonle Sap, Cambodia: are fish stocks in decline? Fisheries Management and Ecology.
Montaña, C.G., C. Ou, F. W. Keppeler & K. O. Winemiller. 2020. Functional and trophic diversity of fishes in the Mekong-3S River system: comparison of morphological and isotopic patterns. Environmental Biology of Fishes. 103: 185-200.
Ou, C., C. G. Montaña., & K. O. Winemiller. 2017. Body size–trophic position relationships among fishes of the Lower Mekong Basin. Royal Society Open Science 4: 160645.
Ou, C. & K.O. Winemiller. 2016. Seasonal hydrology and shifts in production sources supporting fishes in the Lower Mekong River Basin. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Science 73: 1-21.
Winemiller, K.O., P. B. McIntyre, L. Castello, E. Fluet-Chouinard, T. Giarrizzo, S. Nam, I. G. Baird, W. Darwall, N. K. Lujan, I. Harrison, M. L. J. Stiassny, R. A. M. Silvano, D. B. Fitzgerald, F. M. Pelicice, A. A. Agostinho, L. C. Gomes, J. S. Albert, E. Baran, M. Petrere Jr., C. Zarfl, M. Mulligan, J. P. Sullivan, C. C. Arantes, L. M. Sousa, A. A. Koning, D. J. Hoeinghaus, M. Sabaj, J. G. Lundberg, J. Armbruster, M. L. Thieme, P. Petry, J. Zuanon, G. Torrente Vilara, J. Snoeks, C. Ou, W. Rainboth, C. S. Pavanelli, A. Akama, A. van Soesbergen, and L. Sáenz. 2016. Balancing hydropower and biodiversity in the Amazon, Congo, and Mekong. Science 351 (6269): 128-129.
Cooperman, M. S., N. So, M. Arias, T. A. Cochrane, V. Elliott, T. Hand, L. Hannah, G. W. Holtgrieve, L. Kaufman, A. Koening, J. Koponen, V. Kum, K. S. McCann, P. B. McIntyre, B. Min, C. Ou, N. Rooney, K. Rose, J. L. Sabo & K. O. Winemiller. 2012. A watershed moment for the Mekong: newly announced community use and conservation areas for the Tonle Sap Lake may boost the sustainability of the world’s largest inland fishery. Cambodian Journal of Natural History 2: 101-106.
Ou, C., C.G. Montana, K. O. Winemiller & K.W. Conway. 2011. Schistura diminuta, a new miniature loach from the Mekong River drainage of Cambodia (Teleostei: Nemacheilidae). Ichthyological Exploration of Freshwaters 22(3):193-200.