[3] These fish are widely distributed across the middle and eastern United States, from the Rocky Mountains to the east, from the Great Lakes south into the Gulf Coast.

[3] The orangespotted sunfish is ecologically unique and thrives in turbid, shallow systems that have few predators and low oxygen contents.

[3][4][7] Some studies find that, in general, orangespotted sunfish tend to live in turbid, long, large lakes, which is evident by its geographic distribution.

[10] The dominant prey of orangespotted sunfish includes insects, such as corixids and chironomids, zooplankton, other small invertebrates that live in the water column, and fish.

[9] If reared in an environment with altered prey availability, the species has been found to show phenotypic plasticity or morphological differences in response to this changed environmental condition.

[8] This is because nesting sunfish have been known to expose suitable spawning sites for other species, like the Topeka shiner, by fanning the spot with their caudal fins to aerate the eggs.

[12] In many habitats that are natural homes to orangespotted sunfish, connectivity between rivers and lakes has been altered and flooding incidents have been reduced for agricultural gain.

This process can be expensive, but it has already been implemented by the United States Army Corps of Engineers in Swan Lake, Illinois through their habitat rehabilitation and enhancement project (HREP).

[14] More studies should be done in all documented locations of orangespotted sunfish to assess the current population assemblages, and to track any future changes that occur.

At present, no lands need to be protected for this non-endangered fish, but careful consideration should be taken if new dams are created that fragment the orangespotted sunfish's habitat.