TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - Feb. 9, 2012) - Eastmain Resources Inc. (News - Market indicators) is pleased to announce drilling and trenching results from its wholly-owned Clearwater Project, located in James Bay Québec. 2011 drilling focused on testing the 850 West and Gap Zones, located immediately west of the Eau Claire Gold Deposit. 68 drill holes were completed at 25- to 50-metre intervals over an area 550 metres long by approximately 300 metres wide, and to a vertical depth of more than 300 metres. Assay highlights are reported for 51 drill holes and five trenches (Tables 1 and 2). Visible gold has been observed in 25 drill holes and from the Rebecca Collins (RC) "Soccer Field" trench. Numerous screen-metallic check assays on samples containing visible gold have increased the grade of several of these intervals. Additional assay data is pending.

The 2011 drill program has confirmed a stacked series of gold-bearing, quartz-tourmaline veins, ranging from 0.5 to 25.5 metres in thickness, within the 850 West and Gap Zones. Veins range in grade from 0.50 to 60.5 g/t Au and up to 88.75 g/t Te, with an average grade of 6.50 g/t Au over 6.09 metres (Table 1). These drill intersections, which are located outside the limits of the previous resource estimate, are expected to have a positive impact on expanding total gold resources at the Eau Claire gold deposit.

A 40,000-metre, $7M drill program has been approved for the Clearwater Project. The top priority will be to expand and define gold resources amenable to open pit extraction. Prospecting, trenching and drilling will continue along the key horizon, extending laterally in both directions from the Eau Claire deposit.

Trenching & Prospecting

Channel sample data from the RC Soccer Field Trench, located on the south face of the 850 West Zone ridge, has confirmed very high grade gold assays from seven different intervals (Table 2; see website for plan map). Abundant visible gold was reported from this target area. Several continuous high grade intervals include: Channel RC-2, grading 8.0 g/t Au across 4.50 metres; channel RC-3, which contains 16.4 g/t Au over 13.5 metres, including 24.0 g/t Au over 8.5 metres and 268.0 g/t Au over a half-metre interval; and channel RC-6 with values of up to 8.4 g/t Au over 7.5 metres, including 13.3 g/t Au over 3.5 metres. The RC Soccer Field trench corresponds with the surface projection of Vein 10.

Regional prospecting has also located high-grade gold samples within the following target areas - the Pascal, Castor, Boomerang and Knight mineral occurrences. As previously reported, up to 66.5 g/t Au was discovered in quartz-tourmaline veins at the Pascal showing, 500 metres west of the 850 West Zone. Rock samples taken in the Castor area, located immediately south and east of the 450 West Zone, assayed 10.15, 13.0 and 30.5 g/t Au with accessory tellurium (Table 2). Recent channel sampling (2011) from the Boomerang area confirmed high-grade gold at trench CW15, where mineral values range from 6.89 to 17.4 g/t Au and 6.84 to 20.5 g/t Te, within quartz-tourmaline veins located one kilometre east of Eau Claire. Two rock samples taken this year from the Knight prospect, located 15 kilometres east of Eau Claire, assayed 13.2 and 17.4 g/t Au (Table 2, see website for map).

Regional exploration to date on the property has defined several high-priority, drill-ready targets, located well outside the limits of the Eau Claire gold deposit. Historical and current prospecting and trenching are responsible for the discovery of a number of significant regional mineral occurrences on the property, which have not yet been drill tested, including: Pascal, Natel, Vanna, Serendipity and Knight. Additional trenching and definition drilling will continue in 2012 to evaluate these target areas and to test the resource potential of the RC Soccer Field Trench (see website for maps and photos).

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. Chemical analysis was completed by ALS CHEMEX Laboratories using a 50-gram split and gravimetric techniques. Screen metallic samples are screened to 100 microns. 50-gram splits are then fire- assayed using an AAS finish. Internal standards, provided by an independent company, and blank samples were inserted for quality control purposes. Assay samples are taken from HQ core, sawed in half along the core axis with one-half sent to ALS and the other half retained for future reference. Unless otherwise indicated, sample length approximates true thickness.

About Eastmain Resources Inc. (News - Market indicators)

Eastmain is a Canadian gold exploration company with 100% interest in the Eau Claire and Eastmain gold deposits which together contain 632,000 ounces of gold in Measured & Indicated resources ¹⁾, 255,750 ounces gold in Historical Measured and Indicated resources ⁴⁾ plus 1,020,000 ounces of gold in Inferred resources ²⁾. The Corporation has $17.6 Million in its treasury and holds a pipeline of exploration projects within the James Bay District, including the Éléonore South property, which lies immediately south of Goldcorp's multi-million-ounce Éléonore property. Eastmain has allocated $10 million for exploration of its key gold projects in Québec for 2011. Work will include 40,000 metres of drilling.

Forward Looking Statements - Certain information set forth in this news release may contain forward-looking statements that involve substantial known and unknown risks and uncertainties. These forward-looking statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, certain of which are beyond the control of Eastmain, including, but not limited to the impact of general economic conditions, industry conditions, dependence upon regulatory approvals and the availability of financing. Readers are cautioned that the assumptions used in the preparation of such information, although considered reasonable at the time of preparation, may prove to be imprecise and, as such, undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements.

Notes: Chemical analysis was completed by ALS CHEMEX Laboratories using a 50-gram split and gravimetric techniques. Internal standards provided by an independent company and blank samples were inserted for quality control purposes. Assay samples are taken from HQ core, sawed in half along the core axis with one half sent to a commercial laboratory and the other half retained for future reference. Sample length approximates true thickness. Core samples are crushed and split with 1 kg pulverized for assay. Core samples containing visible gold were also analyzed by screen metallic methods. Screen metallic samples are screened to 100 microns. 50-gram splits are then fire-assayed using an AAS finish methods. Multiple screen metallic assays are pending. VG - visible gold. VG++ - core samples with 40 to >100 grains of fine gold particles.