Eastmain Resources Inc. (TSX - ER) is pleased to announce that a 3,500-metre drill program is underway at its Éléonore South project. Les Mines Opinaca Ltée. ("Opinaca"), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Goldcorp Inc. (TSX:G, NYSE:GG), confirmed its joint participation in a $1.6-million exploration program, designed to drill-test a sedimentary-hosted discovery at the JT gold zone as well as other priority targets on the property. Azimut Exploration Inc. ("Azimut") has declined participation in funding its share of the program and its interest will be diluted accordingly.

Anomalous gold values have been discovered in altered sedimentary rocks within the JT Gold Zone, over an area 800 metres in length and approximately 400 metres in width. Previously, the partners announced surface trenching results of 5.33 g/t gold (Au) across 8.0 metres, including an interval grading 20 grams per tonne gold over 2.0 metres, and up to 37.8 g/t Au in a metre-long channel sample (Aug 30, 2007 NR).

Preliminary drilling in the JT Zone area, during the winter of 2008, intersected a number of wide, goldbearing intervals within aluminous sedimentary rocks containing disseminated arsenopyrite and rock alteration, similar to that observed at the Roberto Gold Deposit. All seven holes drilled into the JT Zone contain gold. Intervals of up to 10.8 g/t Au over 0.5 metres, and wider zones of up to 1.54 g/t Au over 5.7 metres and 0.70 g/t Au over 10 metres (Jan 21, 2009 NR), indicate the potential for a large gold system at Éléonore South.

Important structural controls, evident at other gold deposits in the district, have been recognized at Éléonore South. These structures, interpreted from detailed airborne magnetic survey data, will be part of the focus of this drill program. Wide zones of low-grade, gold-bearing sediment containing arsenopyrite, invaded by pegmatite swarms, have been observed on the adjacent mine property and at Éléonore South.

"Current gold resources and grade at the neighbouring Éléonore project have risen dramatically. As of December 31, 2008, the Roberto deposit contained 5.3 million ounces of gold, consisting of 2.3 million ounces of measured and indicated gold resources at an average grade of 10.05 grams per tonne, and 3.0 million ounces of inferred gold resources at an average grade of 12.75 grams per tonne." stated Dr. Donald J. Robinson, President & CEO of Eastmain. "The high-priority JT Target has several of the key early-stage characteristics observed at Roberto. Eastmain and Goldcorp have allocated sufficient exploration funding to continue to test the JT area and several other high-priority, sedimentary-hosted gold targets at Éléonore South."


Dr. Donald J. Robinson P.Geo, is the Qualified Person for the information contained in this press release and is a Qualified Person within the meaning of National Instrument 43-101.

About Eastmain Resources Inc. (TSX:ER)
Eastmain is a Canadian gold exploration company with 100% interest in the Eau Claire and Eastmain gold deposits. The Corporation has $18 Million in working capital and holds an interest in 12 projects within the James Bay District, including the Éléonore South property. Eastmain has allocated a budget of $4.0 million for gold exploration in Québec for 2009.