SAN FRANCISCO -- The massive Cosco Busan oil spill was posed to claim another victim Tuesday as Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger was ready to suspend all fishing for human consumption on the water of the San Francisco Bay.

Schwarzenegger signed an executive order that bans both commercial and sport fishing from Nov. 15 until Dec. 1, or until state health and wildlife officials determine that it's safe to reopen the fisheries.

"We must protect public health and that is why I am signing this executive order today that will suspend harvesting of all marine life for human consumption in areas affected by the spill," the governor said in a statement.

The state Department of Fish and Game, working with the Office of Oil Spill Prevention and Response, will determine which areas will be closed to fishing.

Schwarzenegger also ordered the state Department of Public Health to determine whether people can become sick if they eat seafood caught in areas impacted by Wednesday's spill of 58,000 gallons of shipping fuel.

The action came after State Senate President pro Tem Don Perata and several fishermen's groups asked for Schwarzenegger to postpone the opening of crab season that was scheduled to begin on Thursday.

Zeke Grader, the executive director of the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations, said he believes for health and safety reasons crab season should be postponed indefinitely, "until the oil dissipates."

"We want to make sure the crab is safe and tastes fine," Grader said.

The postponement means fresh local crab will not be available for Thanksgiving and fishermen will suffer economic losses. Schwarzenegger's action did not immediately address the ban's economic impact.

John Miller said the spill came at the worst time for his fellow commercial fishermen.

"We were literally putting the traps on the boats, getting the bait ready to head out to sea and start crab fishing," he said. "The first two weeks is the lifeblood for our whole season."

As to how he would survive now the ban was in place, Miller said: "I'm going to have to get really creative."

Meanwhile, Kelley Groesser expected to wade through throngs of out-of-town visitors eating crab sandwiches when she visited San Francisco's famed Fisherman's Wharf, epicenter of the city's kitschy tourist trade.

Instead, the Temecula resident watched hordes of fishermen repairing nets by their idled boats.

The spill occurred after a cargo ship struck the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, and at 58,000 gallons was San Francisco Bay's biggest in nearly two decades. That had civic leaders and business owners working to assure would-be visitors that the City by the Bay is still open for business.

"We are very concerned about the economic impact the oil spill has had on the city's not just fishing industry, but tourism industry as well," said Nathan Ballard, a spokesman for Mayor Gavin Newsom. "With the delay of crab season, it's a big concern."

Along with Alcatraz and the Golden Gate Bridge, eating Dungeness crab is an essential part of any tourist itinerary.

Most seafood sold at Fisherman's Wharf is caught far offshore, or elsewhere on the Pacific Coast. Even the crabs on ice in front of wharf eateries were likely shipped in from the Pacific Northwest, but some tourists weren't taking any chances.

"We haven't had it," said Eileen Klinkatsis, visiting from North Carolina for the Oracle World software conference. As she spoke, she looked out over the barking sea lions at Pier 39. "I really don't think we're going to have it at all."

The sea lions and other marine mammals have largely avoided exposure to the oil, and the stench of bunker fuel that had hung over the bay has dissipated.

But dark, patchy slicks continue to float in some areas, and several beaches remained closed as teams in yellow hazmat suits shoved sticky globs of oil and sand into plastic bags.

Sue Kelvington's visit to Ocean Beach turned messy when some of the children in her group went swimming and emerged with oil stains on their skin.

"They'd never seen the ocean," said Kelvington, here from Salt Lake City visiting family with her daughter and some cousins. Explaining why they ignored warnings to stay out of the ocean, she said: "(They) were going to have fun anyway."

The group also tried to visit Fort Point, under the Golden Gate Bridge, but the area was closed because of the oil cleanup.

Over the weekend, the spill forced organizers of the San Francisco Triathlon to make it a biathlon: about 900 athletes, including dozens hoping to gain points to qualify for the Olympic Games, weren't allowed to swim in the bay.

The California State Park Service also temporarily closed Angel Island and canceled all public ferry service to that popular hiking and biking destination.

Angela Jackson, spokeswoman for the San Francisco Convention & Visitors Bureau, said ferries to Alcatraz remain were still doing a brisk business.

"To date, none of the water-based tour companies have reported any change in business," she said. "They're still carrying on all of their tours, so for now it has not impacted tourism."