Fishing and Licenses and Objects - Oh My!

We are at the point in our project where it is time to write drafts of our object histories, or captions.  Below are four possibilities:

About Angling

Fishing, or angling, dates to pre-history as a method of survival: one fished to eat.  As early as the Middle Ages, people enjoyed fishing as a sport or pastime.  The Schuylkill Fishing Company was founded in Philadelphia on May 1, 1732, the first angling club in the Western Hemisphere. 
~Lyndsey S. Brown

About Pennsylvania Fishing Licenses

The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission protects lakes, rivers, and streams in Pennsylvania so that residents may fish and boat.  Charging a fee to fish - requiring a fishing license - creates the necessary money used to care for the 45,000 miles of Commonwealth waterways. The first license was sold in 1919. 
~Lyndsey S. Brown

About Fishing - Through Objects

Objects can teach us the history of fishing.  The Egyptians made belts, carved pictures, and wove fishing nets.  Minoans made bronze fishing hooks.  The Etruscans and Greeks both depicted their gods fishing.  By the Middle Ages, both the Chinese and Europeans created fishing scenes, often on scrolls and in statuary.  
~Lyndsey S. Brown

Note: this description is written specifically to showcase ways that blogs can add dimension to a description.  All images belong to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and are used without permission (but with gratitude).  The Met's searchable database is an excellent tool for studying history through objects and art.   

About Senior Resident Fishing Licenses

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania began issuing fishing licenses in 1919 to raise revenue to maintain waterways for fishing and boating.  In 1919 the first non-resident license was issued, with a resident license following in 1922. The senior resident license appeared in 1964, with a lifetime version introduced in 1979. 
~Lyndsey S. Brown