BATON ROUGE- Governor John Bel Edwards recommended Louisiana residents use an online source to find local seafood to support fishermen in the state during the coronavirus crisis.

During the Tuesday afternoon COVID-19 conference, Gov. Edwards said local businesses need your support now more than ever.

"I encourage everyone who is going to go out and buying seafood, purchase seafood that was caught in Louisiana by Louisiana fishermen, or packaged here, or produced here," Edwards said Tuesday afternoon.

"The state's fishing industry is still reeling from last year, which was particularly tough with the multiple openings of the Bonnet Carre Spillway and the floodwaters that put too much freshwater in certain areas of the state," Edwards said.

Louisiana Direct Seafood is a website now available to make finding fresh, local seafood easy for residents.

From shrimp and crabs to oysters and crawfish, a wide variety of seafood can be located using the online tracker. The seafood can be picked up or delivered to your home, according to Gov. Edwards.

"Our mission is to help coastal fishermen connect with consumers, and build community support for fresh, wild-caught seafood products. The benefits of our sea-to-plate concept are two-fold: fishermen thrive by selling their catch at a fair price, and consumers experience the superior taste and texture of freshly caught seafood, the website states.

The marketing initiative is administered by LSU Ag Center and Louisiana Sea Grant, with funding by the Louisiana Office of Community Development and the Gulf States Marine Fisheries Council.

"There is a reason the farm-to-table concept has become so popular-people are looking to make a connection with their food, and with local producers," Thomas Hymel, the Louisiana Direct Seafood program director said.