Allen Kruse had been a charter fishing boat captain for more than two decades - long enough that people called him by his boat's name, Rookie, as if they were one and the same. But two months ago, the leaking BP oil well began pouring crude into the Gulf of Mexico waters where he took families fishing for snapper and amberjack.

Two weeks and two days ago, with his fishing grounds closed, Kruse, 55, took a job working for BP's cleanup crew in Gulf Shores, Ala. Other boat captains said Kruse, like them, found the effort confusing, bureaucratic and frustrating. He told them not to worry about the hassles. But those close to him saw he was losing weight.